Science Fiction and Fantasy

I’ll be at Dragon Con from Friday, Aug. 29 through Monday, Sept. 1! This is my busiest convention yet. My schedule is below, and if you’re using the mobile app to plan your weekend, I’m the only guest with the last name Myers. Whenever I’m not participating on programming, chances are you can find me in the Pyr Books Booth, #424, 425 in the new exhibitor space adjacent to the Westin. Come say hi, get copies of Fair Coin and Quantum Coin signed, and pick up free bookmarks and a special Dragon Con discount coupon for an amazing new anthology I’m in, Kaleidoscope: Diverse YA Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories. And of course, you can always reach me on Twitter.

I wrote this 140-word drabble for a friend’s GISHWHES team, to fulfill scavenger hunt item #78: “Get a previously published Sci-Fi author to write an original story (140 words max) about Misha, the Queen of England and an Elopus.”

There was no room for a title in my submission, but I’m calling it “Atlantic Rim”, for reasons which may soon be obvious. Enjoy!

“Atlantic Rim” by E.C. Myers

Misha didn’t know why the Queen of England summoned him for an audience, but when a queen calls, you don’t let it go to voicemail.

What do a disabled superhero, a time-traveling Chinese-American figure skater, and a transgendered animal shifter have in common? They’re all stars of Kaleidoscope stories! Kaleidoscope collects fun, edgy, meditative, and hopeful YA science fiction and fantasy with diverse leads. These twenty original stories tell of scary futures, magical adventures, and the joys and heartbreaks of teenage.

A couple of weeks ago, I was thrilled to participate in one of the most exciting and memorable things I’ve ever done: the Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop. Dubbed a “space camp for writers,” it brings together established writers, editors, and creators for an intensive, week-long crash course in astronomy: basically a semester’s worth of Astronomy 101 classes in seven days. It was breathtaking (literally—it takes place in Laramie, Wyoming, about 7,100 feet above sea level), mind-blowing, and, most of all, inspiring.

It was inspiring not only because of all the story ideas it generated and the opportunity to learn more about our incredible, mysterious universe, but because there’s nothing like meeting and spending time with other writers and creative professionals…

Launch Pad is a “crash course” in astronomy for professional writers and editors. By learning about modern science from guest lectures and observing the stars through telescopes at the University of Wyoming, we can share that knowledge with others through our own work. I was first introduced to a lot of the science I love through books I read as a kid, like William Sleator’s Singularity and Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, so I know how effective fiction can be at educating as well as entertaining. And I hope to pay that forward with my own stories.

I’ve wanted to attend Launch Pad ever since Mike Brotherton founded the workshop, and I’m thrilled that I’ll finally be able to participate with a truly talented group and an impressive roster of instructors. I’m also bummed that I’m going to miss my favorite convention, Readercon, but… Launch Pad!